Top Blog Partners

Should Arsenal be looking at Koeman to replace Wenger?

Arsenal should have a new managerial target in mind!

There’s been plenty of talk these past two weeks about Arsene Wenger’s potential departure from Arsenal Football Club at the end of the season and after 20 years since joining the club, it seems Wenger may also wish to pass the role onto someone else.

Even though the season may have only just started and there is therefore a long way to go until we will find out if this is indeed Wenger’s last campaign in charge, it hasn’t stopped fans from wondering who may take over at the Emirates, once Le Prof does leave the club. A few names have popped up on more than one occasion, with Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe seemingly a firm favourite. Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid manager is also a name that has appeared in the media a fair bit, whilst a potential move for Jochaim Low may also be on the cards. The board at Arsenal are undoubtedly drawing up a shortlist and although Wenger himself may have a say in who he thinks should replace him at the helm of the team, the latest name to join the list of candidates is Everton boss Ronald Koeman.

Koeman, a legend of the professional game, has only been in England for a few years as a manager and has showed great managerial qualities during his time at Southampton. Koeman has since moved to Everton during the summer and although he had a shaky stint in pre-season, his Everton side remain unbeaten in the league and sit second in the table behind Manchester City.

It was Charlie Nicholas, who was speaking on Sky Sports about Koeman being a possible candidate for the Arsenal job, with Nicholas stating: “There’s a shrewdness about Koeman – he doesn’t complicate himself. Once he’s made his decision it’s all in. I just love his whole approach. I’ve said it before – if I was Arsenal and [Arsene] Wenger is ready to go, he would be the number one target for me.”

It may only be early days at Everton for Koeman, but he is certainly showing the same worth that he showed down on the south coast with Southampton. The only issue is that because he has only just started his stint in Merseyside, he may be hesitant to moving on after a single season.
Koeman does have the qualities Arsenal would like in a manager and he is proven in the Premier League with Southampton. With this in mind, Koeman therefore wouldn’t be too much of a gamble post Wenger, but with a big reputation to live up to, could Arsenal target someone with more managerial success. The Dutchman has of course managed some big clubs in his time, but hasn’t brought too much success to boast about. Something tells me that Arsenal may not have Koeman on their shortlist of candidates.

While Low’s results are very impressive.. He’s managing the German national team. They’re pretty good.. He isn’t really that proven at club level.
Simeone, while having a good squad, seems to always over-achieve IMO. He’d be my out and out first-choice for the eventual successor for Wenger. And he did just shorten his contract to end of this season for anyone who missed it…

Koeman so far has done well in the premiership and is continuing to do so at Everton but does he really have all the tools in his box to take over at Arsenal and succeed. It’s to early to judge him this season as most teams do well under new management to start with before then dropping their standards again.

Only at Arsenal , do we bash a starting 11 after they win 4 v 1 away from home . Now we are already talking about potential managers in September ?? Really , can we just wait for the end of season or March or April? Before we start this manager talk .

Once more Wenger is right about the transfer window , we have average playèrs going for records fee.

I want xhaka and Perez to play , but if we are winning 4 v 1 and playing well why even criticise the manager,

Look we are going to have 60 games this year . Xhaka and Perez are going to have loads of games . So let’s be patient .

The great Robert Pires was put on the bench by Wenger. After 10 mins he asked his manager ” Gaffer is it always like this in England? Even from the bench he could tell the intensity is crazy . Non of us keyboard pundits know more about football than Wenger. Guess what Pires later became world class.

Wow admin, my comment awaiting moderation ? Just because I criticise the article for talking about a new manager in September. We shouldn’t have any potential manager article till April next year.
We are a classy club and we should be patient . We have loads of things to talk about. Potential managers is not one of them.
We win 4 v 1 away from home and no one is talking about the games, everyone is talking about team selection. Is not just right anymore . We are winning games . Aren’t we?

See how we have down graded our club to almost a second league side over the decade, we no longer want the best but second best……. Koeman, howe are all good but only where they are not arsenal. Why not go for the best in the world because believe it or not, we are among the best we should go for a
1.low: proven leader and go getter, wins titles and his side doesn’t just kick the ball they play real soccer and he gets the best out of players plus good squad selection
2.diego: he doesn’t play our style but his is also a winning style but i rather get used to a new style if it will bring us titles and send shivers to our enemies
3.luis Enrique :I mean why not
4.if we cant get the above then I can settle for less koeman i do admit he knows his trade well

Our players have been schooled to play a certain way, we need a manager with the same ethos, to carry on and improve on our system.

I agree Simeone has a winning mentality, but can/would he adapt to a more possession based game? Not only is his style boring at times, how would our players adapt to a completely different system, we could be in for a very bumpy ride if he get’s the job and doesn’t change his ways.

Koeman would be perfect in many ways. First of all, he has PL experience. He did a great job at Southampton and at Everton he has hit the ground running again. We will see where they end but if they end in the top 8 that would be a solid result IMO.

Second of all, he is a modest name which seems to be something the Arsenal board like. I don’t see them reaching for a big name manager and pay the money needed to get them (Simeone, Klopp, Pep etc).

Third of all at he has good experience coaching in Spain, Portugal and Holland and winning trophies in all three countries.

If we don’t go for the absolute top of the managerial world, Koeman could well be the next best thing.

I sincerely hope Wenger will not extend his contract, it is time for Arsenal to join the world of modern football and ambition. No method or style lasts forever, you have to adapt.

The “should” bit I can get my head around but do you really believe Arsenal will try to and can attract any of the managers you mention?

Managers like that are either tied down to their current club and would require a large buy-out payment, something Arsenal is unlikely to do; managers like that have ambitions and will not come unless they have some assurances about a budget they would want to strengthen the squad, something Arsenal is unlikely to agree to.

I think these managers are out of our league as were Europe’s top strikers. Koeman would be a more realistic target as was Perez.

I am not sure about pep, very sucessful with barcelona and munich but look at the players he had to work with. He seems to have done wonders at manc, but then last season the manager was completely undermined by the club statement that he would be replaced by pep at the end of the season so manc were underperforming. I will reserve my judgement on pep a little longer but so far have been very impressed with him at manc and it looks like he would be a great manager for us.

Considering pep as future manager at the moment is a non starter. He will not leave manc after one season, unless it is a disaster, in which case would not want him.

In addition, I think Wenger will have a say about who follows him and Pep would be a nightmare for Wenger since he might well be able to turn this squad into winners, making Wenger look average in the process.

Arsene Wenger is too selfish and self centered, would not want anyone that will do better than him, or would not be loyal to him. Do, I doubt if he will approve of a World-class manager like Low, Someone or Enrique.
But I know Enrique wants to manage in England, and Arsenal suits his Barca philosophy!!!